Smokers sleep far less

Fri, 21 Sep 2012 9:11 AM

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Smokers may toss and turn more and have less sleep than non-smokers, according to a recent study.

Researchers from Charite Berlin medical school, Germany found that of the 1100 smokers they interviewed, 17 percent reported sleeping less than six hours a night, while 28 percent had a lower quality of sleep than non-smokers.

In fact, over a quarter of smokers reported some type of sleep disturbance. This in comparison to just seven percent of non-smokers (1200) who reported few sleeping hours and 19 percent that said they tossed and turned in the night.

Researchers were careful to ensure both groups had no history of other disorders that might have had some role to play in the lack of sleep, however, they do acknowledge that the smokers might have other habits that might influence sleeping patterns, such as watching late-night television or avoiding exercise.

Still, Lead researcher Stefan Cohrs and his team say their findings offer some insight into the fact that nicotine’s stimulant effect influences sleeping patterns.

“If you smoke and you do suffer from sleep problems, it is another good reason to quit smoking,” Cohrs told the Daily Mail.

Not getting enough sleep has been associated with a range of other health problems too such as obesity, suggesting that smoking may act as a trigger to an unhealthy lifestyle overall.